WEEKLY OFFERINGS—AN OBJECTION CONSIDERED.
REV. GEO. HARRIS, PROVIDENCE. R. I.
It is objected to the system of weekly offerings, that it practically does away with the presentation from the pulpit of the claims of our missionary societies. The objection is not a serious one, and serves only to show that the real difficulty lies further back than the method of giving. It proceeds on the assumption that in churches where occasional collections are taken, sermons are preached annually by the pastor or by the secretaries on the claims of all the principal societies. This is not true. There are very few churches, with whatever methods of giving, where sermons are frequently heard on missionary subjects. The objection assumes that under the system of weekly offerings sermons are not and cannot profitably be preached on the claims of our missionary societies. This, also, is not true. In these churches such sermons are sometimes preached, and may be very effective, taking the years together.
The objection assumes that people are to be interested in missions chiefly by listening to frequent discourses on the subject, while the truth is, that preaching is only one method among others. The real difficulty, I have said, lies further back than the particular method of giving which may be used by a church. The difficult thing is to produce an intelligent and sustained interest in Christian work beyond local limits. This difficulty has been felt for years and cannot be met by simply making public appeals from time to time. There are various methods which may be employed with some success under any system of giving, but which will leave much to be done anywhere. It should be well understood, first of all, that it is the duty, not of secretaries, but of pastors, to keep the people alive to the progress of Christ’s kingdom in the world. The first condition is, that pastors be well informed about missionary enterprises and deeply in sympathy with them. If it were certain that the pastors know the progress and plans of missions, and that they are really solicitous to remove the ignorance and apathy of the people, the battle would be more than half won. Now, when the pastor has an intelligent interest in missions at home and abroad, the following suggestions may be useful:
A sermon devoted to this subject may be preached occasionally, and the preacher may enrich sermons on other subjects by illustrations from the multiform conditions and incidents of missionary work, and thus accomplish two objects at the same time. But the second service, which should be devoted to instruction rather than persuasion, may frequently become a missionary meeting.
The prayers of the pastor may be made more effective for missions than his sermons. If he makes mention in his prayers of the servants of Christ who are toiling among the heathen, or the Freedmen, or the Western settlers, and prays, not with a tedious enumeration, but with fervor and definiteness, he will put missions on the hearts of the people. What has a place frequently in our prayers has a place in our sympathies. Yet how often the petitions of public worship are confined to the boundaries of the parish.
Something may be done by increasing the circulation of missionary magazines. Let the annual contribution make as many life members as possible, to whom these publications will be sent.
Thus there are various means to be used in the interest of missionary work. What is needed is the flavor of missions in the life of the churches, the vision of Christ’s kingdom kept continually before the imagination and faith of the people, the proportions of the local, not magnified into excessive size, but brought into true harmony with the greatness of our Redeemer’s work for the race. Not all people can be aroused into interest for missionary work by any methods; whatever the zeal of the pastor, some indifference will remain. But if he has the missionary spirit, he will not be contented with an occasional preaching. He will determine the tone of worship and the direction of all endeavors by his enlarged view of God’s plan for the redemption of men. New suggestions, allusions, illustrations and prayers will swell the current of sympathy for missions, and increase contributions under any method of giving.
But, at all events, if the pastor thinks it wise to preach on the subject, or introduce a Secretary when collections are to be taken, there is no reason why he may not pursue the same course when pledges of money are made only once a year.